Adjustable gearing



Oct. 9, 1951- Fre.

w. F. BERCK ADJUSTABLE GEARING Filed July 20, 1946 -INVENTOR. VW/h'am Flat/"ck Patented Oct. 9, 1951 ADJUSTABLE GEARING William F. Berck, Hayward, Calif., assignor to Ralph N. Brodie Company, Oakland, Calif., a corporation of California Application July 20, 1946, Serial No. 685,070

4 Claims.

This invention relates to fluid meters, and more particularly to an adjustment mechanism for changing the capacity of such meters. The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved adjusting mechanism of the planetary type for infinitely varying the throw of a crank r eccentric forming part of a fluid meter.

' In its general aspects, the invention contemplates the provision of a gear train between a crank device and an adjusting shaft for its crank pin, the crank device driving the adjusting shaft through the gearing in the same direction at a one to one gear ratio during non-planetary movement of the gear train elements to prevent adjust- -ment or variation in the throw of the crank pin, and the crank device driving the adjusting shaft at a different ratio upon operation of the gear tra n as a, planetary transmission, to provide infinite variations between limits in the throw of the crank pin. The adjustment may be made to occur as a result of manual or automatic control, as desired.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by. way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a part elevational and part sectional view of a meter embodying the invention.

Fi 2 is a View of the gear train, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a View taken alon the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

As shown in the drawings, the mechanism is mounted in a meter housing l0 and includes a crank or eccentric device I I in the form of a gear |2 suitably secured to a hollow drive shaft |3 rotatable in a bearing I4 supported in the housing. A radial slot I5 is provided in the drive gear for reception of a hollow crank pin I6 whos crank arm 11 extends inwardly and encompasses an eccentric l3 secured to an adjusting shaft l9 extending through the hollow drive shaft |3. An arm 20 may project from the crank pin.

, A first gear 2| is fixed to the hollow drive shaft l3 and a second gear 22 to the eccentric adjusting shaft IS, a gear train transmitting rotary motion between these two gears 2|, 22 in the same direction and, normally, at a one to one gear ratio. This gear train includes a first idler 23 rotatably mounted on a suitably supported stud 24 and meshing with the first gear 2|, and also with a first planet idler 25 rotatably supported on a shaft 26 fixed to and extending between planet arms of a carrier 21 rotatable about the axis of the stud 24. A second planet idler 28 is integral, or otherwise secured for rotation, with the first planet idler 25 and meshes with a second idler 29 rotatable on the stud 24 and meshing with the second gear 22 secured to the eccentric adjusting shaft l9.

The teeth on the first and second-gears 2|, 22 are different in number, which is also true of the teeth on the first and second planet idler pinions 25, 28. The first planet gear 25 has the same number of teeth as the first drive gear 2|, and the second planet gear 28 has the same number of teeth as the second driven gear 22 on the adjusting shaft I9. Thus, when the planet carrier or arm 21 is stationary, the driving gear 2| rotates the driven gear 22 in the same direction and at the same rate of speed (one to one gear ratio).

So long as the driving and driven gears 2|, 22 are rotating in the same direction and at the same speed, the position of the crank pin IS in the crank slot I5 remains unchanged. During rotation of the main drive gear l2 on which the crank pin is mounted, rotation of the driving and driven gears 2 22 at diiferent speeds would cause rotation of the eccentric adjusting shaft l9 and its eccentric IS with respect to the drive gear l2 and would produce movement of the crank arm I! and its crank pin l6 radially of the crank drive gear, thereby changing the throw of the crank pin I6.

Adjustment of the crank pin occurs as the result of moving the planet carrier 2'! about the axis of the idler stud 24 in one direction or the other, depending upon the desire to increase or decrease the throw of the crank pin. Such movement causes the idler gears to function as an epicyclic transmission; the first idler 23 serving as a driving sun gear, the second idler 29 as a driven sun gear, with the first and second compound planet idlers 25, 28 operating as planet pinions revoluble about the first and second sun gears 23, 29.

The planetary action of the gear train may be understood by considering the main gear |2 stationary, which holds the drive gear 2| and first idler 23 stationary as well. The pivoting of the planet carrier 21 about the stud 24 by any suitable means causes the first planet pinion 25 to roll on the stationary sun gear 23, and rotates both the first and second planet pinions 25, 28 about their own axis on the shaft 26. Since the planet pinions 25, 28 have different numbers of teeth, rotation of the planet arm 21 produces a differential action and causes the driven idler sun gear 29 to be rotated with respect to the stationary sun gear 23. Since the driven sun gear 29 meshes with the driven gear 22, the eccentric adjusting shaft I9 is rotated and the eccentric I 8 turned with respect to the drive gear [2, moving the crank arm I! along the face of the drive gear 12 in either an inward or outward direction, depending upon the direction in which the planet carrier.21 is rotated, and correspondingly shifting the position of the crank pin i6 in the radial .slot l5.

Although the planetary action'has been described in connection with a stationary drive gear 2! and idler sun gear 23, it isapparent that the planetary action resulting from rotation of the carrier 21 also occurs during operation of the meter and with the gears I2, 2|, '23 turning. Depending upon the :drection :in whichtheplanetcarrier 21 is turned, and during such turning, the gear ratio between the drive gear 52 and eccentric adjusting shaft 19 becomes either greater or less than the normal operating ratio of one to one.

Rotation or pivotal movement of the planet ing, by means of'which'thecarrier may be rotated in either direction. There is suitable packing 34 about-shaft 32 frictionally engaging theshaftwith a force sufficient to prevent ac- ,cidental'movement of the shaft because'of any .forces transmitted 'thereto through the-gear -3l,

yet allowing adjustment ofshaft 32 bymanipulationiof knob 33.

While the invention has been described by 'way of illustration in connection withtheadjustment in-the throw'of a crank pin, it-israpparent that it can also be'used in connection With'the adjustment in the throw of an 'eccentric, or other eccentric devices. For example, the provision of a circular peripheryon the crank arm 51 converts it to an outer'eccentric,

with an inner eccentric I8 rotatable in its bore.

Rotation of the inner eccentric [8 relative to 1 the drive gear-l2, through manipulationof the adjusting mechanism heretofore described, shifts theouter-eccentric l7 (crank arm) radial centri depending upon the" planetary movement of the planet idlers.

While the present invention is herein disclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that various changes may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in then-appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent .1. In a device of the character described, a pair of concentric shafts, a first pair of coaxial dissimilar gears mounted-on said shafts,-a:--second .pair of dissimilar coaxial gears meshing with the first pair of gears, a single ccmpoundgear having teeth-meshing with the teeth of the-second pair of gears whereby said second pair :of gears and said compound gear form a train for'thetransmission of rotation from one gear of the first pair to the other gear of thefirst pair, and means for bodily moving the compound gear ;With respect to thesecond pair .of gears to vary'the relative angularityof the concentric-shafts.

.2. The structure-set'forth in claim .-1, in which the dissimilarity between the gears-of the first pair'of gears is equal and opposite to the dissimilarity between the gears :of the secondpair.

-3. Thestructure set forth in claim.-l,.in'which the axes of the first pair of :gears and the .second pair of gears are relatively fixed.

4. The structure set forth in: claim :1, in which the axis of thecompound gear is-movable with respect-to-the axis-of the secondpair of .gears.

WILLIAM F. :BERCK.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record inth'e file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

